Nikki Kaye is going back to work after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Gets all teary about her Departing Leader, waxes positively lachrymal about how
..
” “He’s [Key] just been the most incredible person and he’s been a great friend, but also he’s just given me so much space to be able to get well.”
Well, that’s just fine and dandy Nikki .
How about those ‘other courageous cancer sufferers, you remember, the hundreds who were put on the Jobseekers Allowance….
Take a little wander over to the Givealittle site Nikki…read the begging stories of those not so lucky, those without a nice Boss like John Key who’ll give them the ‘space ‘ to get well…
But I’m guessing that you didn’t have to stand in line for treatment through the Public Health system and encounter the sort of folk for whom a diagnosis is devastating in every facet of their and their families’ lives.
Clearly you seem to think it is perfectly OK for one of the privileged to gloat about the wonderful support she got when battling cancer when so many others have to beg?
Are hounded and threatened by the agency our taxes fund to support people when the chips are down.
“”I rang and said Jason has cancer, and they said it has to be done like that because there is no such thing as a Sickness Benefit.”
The Sickness Benefit was merged into the Job Seekers Benefit as part of welfare shake-up July 15 2013.
“It really upset me, and I didn’t want him to see this and get upset. It’s ridiculous.”
Then the second letter came, claiming that even though the agency had now seen Leger’s medical certificates, he still needed to be “actively seeking work”.
Leger said the suggestion of sending out CVs from his hospital bed sounded like a bad joke.
“It’s that extra stress that you don’t need at this time going through the treatment,” he said.
He had worked full-time since leaving school, and had never been on a benefit, with doctors even questioning how he had survived working up to the day of his diagnosis.”
“A woman whose job was given to someone else while she received cancer treatment has lost her case for unfair dismissal, and must also pay her former company $3000.
When Auckland administrator Corinne Tribe found out she had mouth cancer, she sent an email to her employer at J Scott and Company Timber saying she hoped to stay, but would understand if she was replaced.
Later she wrote…””I am concerned that my ability to speak clearly, whilst not hindering the job itself, may make it difficult for a new employer to take a chance on me so if it was at all possible for me to keep in touch with the hope of anything that may come up at JSC I would be very grateful.”
She was asked to confirm her resignation in writing but refused.
She sent another email days later: “I look forward to being back in the work place as the valuable employee that I have been this far.””
No ‘space to get well’ from this employer…no siree…then they go for costs because she fought for her job.
Yet Nikki gloats….almost as if she was oblivious to those who have gone before down this road.
Much better for her just to turn up and shut up, or if she wished to be graceful she could have said….
“I understand how lucky, how incredibly privileged I am to have a job that pays very well, that allows me months off (on full pay?) for treatment and recovery as well as the personal support of my boss. I apologise sincerely and from the bottom of my heart for the dreadful and cruel policies that the government I am a part of have put in place that have made the already unbearably difficult lives of other cancer sufferers even more intolerable. My very first mission when I return to work will be to beg my colleagues to repeal any and all policies and legislation which were enacted to kick New Zealander’s when they are already down.”
No worries Grey Area…if feeding this particularly nasty little troll gives me the opportunity to put a spotlight on the real damage this Mob has done…then bring it on chum.
Kicking Kiwis on the Ground…a sport for Key and Crew since 2008…
Thanks Rosemary. I don’t think people realise there is no Sickness Benefit anymore and that people with serious illnesses and having treatment for them are considered to be Jobseekers and must go out and search for jobs, go to courses to write CVs etc. This includes those who have been forbidden from working by their doctors because of such conditions as temporary blindness, or the effects of chemotherapy or suppressed immune systems. A National Party MP even referred to the option of the Sickness Benefit recently. No it does not exist. And that is cruel.
So, I might, just might have been a tad harsh on Ms. Kaye.
No. Even if she IS ignorant of the truth… that makes it worse. That a Cabinet minister no less doesn’t have a clue what’s going on under her nose maybe par for the course with this lot, but its beyond disgraceful. Good on you for having the guts to tell it like it is.
oh poor little james is offended again , well guess what james , get fucked ,your cunt leader and his mates have fucked the health system in this country, 60 plus days for most cancer patients before they get treatment, i know a fulla can’t get a new knee because of his high bmi supposedly except when he asked if it would be done if he had the money they said yes it would, get a fucking spine you sad git.
oh mister offended thinks people that are overweight don’t deserve help, has the thought crossed your mind that part of why he’s heavy is because pain has lowered his mobility. and 40 years of farming fucks most people s joints , their wouldn’t be many 65 year old cockies that haven’t got a steel knee or hip
Yes a surprising comment from someone who recently spoke out against fat-shaming ….. and claimed that their concern was consistent and sincere …..
James 5.1
23 September 2016 at 8:16 am
” Whats his weight got to do with it. Think you can make comments without going on the persons weight? Or is that only acceptable if you are insulting a man or someone with different political views?”
James …
23 September 2016 at 4:48 pm
“I have commented on this several times – from women being called a bitch – to references to peoples weight …. So – I can back up my sincerity by being consistent”
“…except when he asked if it would be done if he had the money they said yes it would, ”
And there b waghorn is that nail hit squarely on the head….
Those handwringing specialists who say ’60 day wait for treatment’ in the Public Health system because ‘we’re all so overworked and we haven’t got enough expert specialists to treat you madam’, are the very same ‘doctors’ who peculiarly have the time to treat your wealthy arse within days if you are privileged enough to be able to stump up the dosh.
I went to a follow up appointment with a friend who had been through rather grueling treatment for leukaemia. The doctor was thorough, caring and respectful and showed a genuine personal interest in the life of my friend…not just their health. There had been trouble at the hospital recently….largely to do with waiting times for treatment….This doctor noted that many of his colleagues also had private practices so they were not full time at the Public Hospital. This doctor could not understand how they could split their time and attention two ways…’serving two masters’. I suggested that the salary paid by the Public Hospital to secure a full time specialist was insufficient….this doctor said, “I have a nice house and a nice car. My children go to good schools and I can afford to take my wife and children back home (to Bangladesh) every year to see my mother and siblings. what more do I need?” All this with a humble and self deprecating shrug.
The steady privatisation of the health system has been a long term goal of the right since…well…the Public health System was developed.
Get a life James, Nikki is very fortunate to have had time off from a lenient public service who earn their living off the hard working PAYE taxpayer. She is more than likely to have private insurance and yes, its a piece of cake for the wealthy to access care for cancer treatments than the not so well off.
How miserable can you be to call Rosemary graceless – she is just stating a fact and by the way I wish Nikki Kaye a successful recovery from Breast cancer – you are just a muck raking troll.
Recently i had a skin cancer cut out at Waikato Hospital. I waited six weeks for them to see me and have a look, they were seeing patients in the weekend to reduce the waiting list. Just over a week later they were operating on me.
My partener just had a foot xray that was a two week wait.
I think the service is pretty good.
Why would you think that your personal fairly positive experience, negates the likelihood that others have a negative one?
BTW, your procedures sound fairly minor and easily dealt with. I have watched a friend – over the last several years – battle with ACC and the MoH over injuries received during a public surgery. The case continues, but not without the immense stress and harm inflicted by institutions intent on denying liability.
Also, at least you were not in the position of having to go on Jobseekers allowance as well. The anecdotes that Rosemary outlines above should have you wondering about the efficiency of sanctions policies, and the cold heartedness of such a system.
If this story is correct it would seem the place where the errors are likely to have occurred is one where Hillary “Won in a landslide”.
It would appear that the number of over counted votes is likely to be proportional to the number of genuine votes cast, if the error was due to jammed papers ending up being counted twice. It is hardly likely that there is a pattern of jammed papers that favours Trump who would have less votes in the area. The machines aren’t that smart.
Thus it seems that Trump may have won the State by more than the reported 10,000 or so.
Bad luck Hillary
The witch hunt for “fake news” and “Russian propaganda” has been kicked up a notch, after the House passed a bill quietly tucked inside the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, designed to crack down on free speech and independent media.
On Sunday, a man walked into a pizzeria in Washington, DC, with an assault rifle and fired one or more shots.
The scene, thankfully, was not another example of a mass shooting — no one was injured or killed. Instead, it was the result of a fake news story about Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign that proliferated on social media in the weeks before Election Day.
The totally false conspiracy theory claims that Hillary Clinton and her former campaign manager, John Podesta, ran a child sex ring at a pizzeria in DC, Comet Ping Pong. Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump supporters and white supremacists on social media have pushed the conspiracy theory — leading to headlines like “Pizzagate: How 4Chan Uncovered the Sick World of Washington’s Occult Elite” on fake news websites
Curiously customers leapt to defend the pizzeria, rather than describe what occurred during what must have been a terrifying scene (refers to comment made by Doug Hagmann in the video below).
Curiously, these two fuckwits use dime-store pop psychology to ignore that fact that their lies caused some nutbar to “self investigate” using firearms.
“He’s actually just a little scammer, but now he’s calling to murder the president-elect. I don’t see how anyone could sit back and watch someone doing that. I actually planned to send an email to the United States Secret Service about him, but I can’t find an appropriate email address of the USSS, so I’ve to post this here. The message is signed: “The kind Austrian citizen, 1k4.”
I wonder if the timing of Key’s announcement inadvertently reveals something about National’s expectations surrounding the Mt Roskill By-Election ?
Key says he made his decision to step down in September, in early October he / the Govt confirm the By-Election date, and he, no doubt, decides at this point that he’ll make his resignation announcement a few days later.
Despite all the ex post facto nonsense about Mt Roskill’s alleged status as one of the great Labour strongholds, it must have looked potentially winnable to Key and Joyce back in Sep / Oct … National ahead in the Party Vote there at the 2014 General Election, the Right Bloc ahead of the Left 48 / 46 (albeit, the broader Opposition slightly ahead of the Right 52 / 48).
Yeah, it may have turned out more like Christchurch East and Mt Albert in the end, but from the perspective of Sep / Oct (with nationwide Polls tentatively beginning to suggest a swing back to the Right), the audacious idea of poaching a rare By-Election win off the Opposition (with all the associated MSM headlines), thus setting up the new National Leader / PM for a great Election run next year – must have seemed eminently do-able.
At the very least, the timing suggests they were hoping for a 2010 Mana – where the Nat candidate slashed Labour’s majority.
Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men, eh … after a week of bad press inspired by the opportunist Leggett, Mt Roskill sees Labour end very much on the front foot – just when National least wanted it.
Yes, at the very least they were set on a significantly reduced majority and even had ideas of winning the seat.
But they got man-shamed. Michael Wood’s win and the massive effort put in by his supporters and the wider Labour campaign outfit surprised and crippled National and Key in equal proportions.
I’m not saying this resignation was due to the result of the Mt Roskill by election (I did intimate that a day or so ago but I’ll retract and agree that Key would have quit yesterday win or lose), but you are right that the resignation was tied to the Mt Roskill by election.
As it happened National got dicked and the furore around Key quitting has really squashed any immediate momentum Labour might have taken into the new year.
As always quite deceitful of John Key and his machine.
Four police officers have been accused of using excessive force when they fired tasers and set dogs on a wanted man, who died at the scene, in Napier last year.
Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk said police were called to Raymond McPeake’s home in Hastings in March 2015 after reports the 76-year-old had been beaten by his son, armed with what was described as a cosh.
Raymond McPeake was taken to hospital but Mr McPeake’s son, 53-year-old Gregory McPeake, was nowhere to be found.
Mr McPeake as “a huge chronic alcoholic and a previous drug user”. It said he “might be parked up somewhere drinking and contemplating suicide and there was a suggestion that he might want to kill his father and brother”.
Mr Vanderkolk said an officer found Mr McPeake’s two-door hatchback SUV parked up at Napier’s Westshore. He put road spikes down before calling for back-up.
The officers called to Mr McPeake to get out of the car and when they got no response from the 179kg man, they decided to break the car’s windows and use pepper spray.
Mr McPeake lashed out at the police and kept the doors locked, despite efforts to get him out.
Two officers fired tasers through the passenger’s and driver’s windows and two police dogs were also let loose in the car.
“He somehow managed to get one of the dogs tangled up in the wires of one of the tasers, or the cables, and he held the other dog by the muzzle very firmly.”
When the officers finally got the door open, Mr McPeake fell out of the car and landed face down. He was unresponsive and, despite attempts by the police officers and ambulance staff, later died.”
“Police officers had no justification for using tasers on a wanted man who refused to get out of his car, an Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) senior manager has told a Napier court.
Canterbury AOS manager Inspector Bryan Buck said today the officers had contained Mr McPeake in his car, by sealing off exits with road spikes, and they should have called the AOS.
“I have the view, the strong view, that if staff truly had the PCA [perceived cumulative assessment] of death/GBH [grievous bodily harm] and believed Mr McPeake posed that level of threat with a crossbow, then a vehicle assault was not the appropriate tactic, at all.”
The officers did not have to act, he said.
“In a case where this person, the sole occupant of a car, parked in front of a beach as it was, containment achieved through the positioning of road spikes and other staff that could be deployed to cut off points of exit – I was happy that containment was achieved, therefore time is your friend. In other words, you can negotiate with this person for as long as it takes.””
This just might be one of those cases of police brutality where justice might prevail.
how about that trump, not even in office and he’s aiming to take Native american land. Oh look, the committee into native americans has 4 out of 5 people who are tied to the oil industry. Now Colonial Viper, now you believe he is as evil as h.r.c? Now you think he is a corporate shrill and a elect for the 1%? What excuse are we going to get this time I wonder?
And As I said after he was elected and the appointment of corporate clowns, this is just going to keep rolling with this muppet. So yeah you picked it, still does not stop trump from being a evil sob.
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Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Oh, this is just sooo inspiring….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87253496/National-MP-Nikki-Kaye-returning-to-full-duties-after-breast-cancer-treatment
Nikki Kaye is going back to work after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Gets all teary about her Departing Leader, waxes positively lachrymal about how
..
” “He’s [Key] just been the most incredible person and he’s been a great friend, but also he’s just given me so much space to be able to get well.”
Well, that’s just fine and dandy Nikki .
How about those ‘other courageous cancer sufferers, you remember, the hundreds who were put on the Jobseekers Allowance….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/80593373/cancer-patient-told-to-find-job-by-work-and-income
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/75373823/Leukaemia-patient-told-by-Work-and-Income-to-find-a-job-or-risk-his-benefit
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11528825
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/295580/cancer-sufferer-loses-employment-fight
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/286914/jobseeker-benefit-for-cancer-patients-'ludicrous‘
Take a little wander over to the Givealittle site Nikki…read the begging stories of those not so lucky, those without a nice Boss like John Key who’ll give them the ‘space ‘ to get well…
But I’m guessing that you didn’t have to stand in line for treatment through the Public Health system and encounter the sort of folk for whom a diagnosis is devastating in every facet of their and their families’ lives.
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/case-private-care-unclear
https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/read-the-journal/all-issues/2010-2019/2011/vol-124-no-1334/view-fenton
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/in-print/2015/february-2015/18-february-2015/private-cancer-treatment-centre-provides-vital-public-service.aspx
All fine for those who can afford medical insurance…
https://www.amp.co.nz/personal/news/insights/2016/march/kiwis-confronting-
rising-cancer-rates-and-treatment-costs
Brighter Future for the Privileged…
Yeah let’s hate on a cancer survivor simply because you don’t like who she works for and her politics.
You are truly graceless.
Behind those headlines are actual people who suffer far worse fates than a highly paid MP ever would.
Clearly you seem to think it is perfectly OK for one of the privileged to gloat about the wonderful support she got when battling cancer when so many others have to beg?
Are hounded and threatened by the agency our taxes fund to support people when the chips are down.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/75373823/Leukaemia-patient-told-by-Work-and-Income-to-find-a-job-or-risk-his-benefit
“”I rang and said Jason has cancer, and they said it has to be done like that because there is no such thing as a Sickness Benefit.”
The Sickness Benefit was merged into the Job Seekers Benefit as part of welfare shake-up July 15 2013.
“It really upset me, and I didn’t want him to see this and get upset. It’s ridiculous.”
Then the second letter came, claiming that even though the agency had now seen Leger’s medical certificates, he still needed to be “actively seeking work”.
Leger said the suggestion of sending out CVs from his hospital bed sounded like a bad joke.
“It’s that extra stress that you don’t need at this time going through the treatment,” he said.
He had worked full-time since leaving school, and had never been on a benefit, with doctors even questioning how he had survived working up to the day of his diagnosis.”
You think this is OK, James?
or….
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/295580/cancer-sufferer-loses-employment-fight
“A woman whose job was given to someone else while she received cancer treatment has lost her case for unfair dismissal, and must also pay her former company $3000.
When Auckland administrator Corinne Tribe found out she had mouth cancer, she sent an email to her employer at J Scott and Company Timber saying she hoped to stay, but would understand if she was replaced.
Later she wrote…””I am concerned that my ability to speak clearly, whilst not hindering the job itself, may make it difficult for a new employer to take a chance on me so if it was at all possible for me to keep in touch with the hope of anything that may come up at JSC I would be very grateful.”
She was asked to confirm her resignation in writing but refused.
She sent another email days later: “I look forward to being back in the work place as the valuable employee that I have been this far.””
No ‘space to get well’ from this employer…no siree…then they go for costs because she fought for her job.
Yet Nikki gloats….almost as if she was oblivious to those who have gone before down this road.
Much better for her just to turn up and shut up, or if she wished to be graceful she could have said….
“I understand how lucky, how incredibly privileged I am to have a job that pays very well, that allows me months off (on full pay?) for treatment and recovery as well as the personal support of my boss. I apologise sincerely and from the bottom of my heart for the dreadful and cruel policies that the government I am a part of have put in place that have made the already unbearably difficult lives of other cancer sufferers even more intolerable. My very first mission when I return to work will be to beg my colleagues to repeal any and all policies and legislation which were enacted to kick New Zealander’s when they are already down.”
Sob.
Rosemary, don’t waste your time or your energy. You’re giving him exactly what he wants.
No worries Grey Area…if feeding this particularly nasty little troll gives me the opportunity to put a spotlight on the real damage this Mob has done…then bring it on chum.
Kicking Kiwis on the Ground…a sport for Key and Crew since 2008…
Thanks Rosemary. I don’t think people realise there is no Sickness Benefit anymore and that people with serious illnesses and having treatment for them are considered to be Jobseekers and must go out and search for jobs, go to courses to write CVs etc. This includes those who have been forbidden from working by their doctors because of such conditions as temporary blindness, or the effects of chemotherapy or suppressed immune systems. A National Party MP even referred to the option of the Sickness Benefit recently. No it does not exist. And that is cruel.
“A National Party MP even referred to the option of the Sickness Benefit recently. ”
Sadly, this does not surprise me.
To be honest, I suspect that Nikki Kaye also might be idling under the illusion that all New Zealander’s have such a positive cancer experience.
That the safety nets are there and fully functional.
So, I might, just might have been a tad harsh on Ms. Kaye…maybe she’s simply ignorant rather than heartlessly cruel.
So, I might, just might have been a tad harsh on Ms. Kaye.
No. Even if she IS ignorant of the truth… that makes it worse. That a Cabinet minister no less doesn’t have a clue what’s going on under her nose maybe par for the course with this lot, but its beyond disgraceful. Good on you for having the guts to tell it like it is.
oh poor little james is offended again , well guess what james , get fucked ,your cunt leader and his mates have fucked the health system in this country, 60 plus days for most cancer patients before they get treatment, i know a fulla can’t get a new knee because of his high bmi supposedly except when he asked if it would be done if he had the money they said yes it would, get a fucking spine you sad git.
Perhaps he should lose weight. It might be what fucked his knee in the first place.
oh mister offended thinks people that are overweight don’t deserve help, has the thought crossed your mind that part of why he’s heavy is because pain has lowered his mobility. and 40 years of farming fucks most people s joints , their wouldn’t be many 65 year old cockies that haven’t got a steel knee or hip
Fat-shaming now? I thought that was a personal bug-bear of yours.
Yes a surprising comment from someone who recently spoke out against fat-shaming ….. and claimed that their concern was consistent and sincere …..
James 5.1
23 September 2016 at 8:16 am
” Whats his weight got to do with it. Think you can make comments without going on the persons weight? Or is that only acceptable if you are insulting a man or someone with different political views?”
James …
23 September 2016 at 4:48 pm
“I have commented on this several times – from women being called a bitch – to references to peoples weight …. So – I can back up my sincerity by being consistent”
My, my, my, James, What a little potty mouth you’re turning out to be.
Bad knee-hard to excercise-gain weight-knee worse-less excercise-more weight gain….vicious circle.
Solution? Fix the fucking knee.
“…except when he asked if it would be done if he had the money they said yes it would, ”
And there b waghorn is that nail hit squarely on the head….
Those handwringing specialists who say ’60 day wait for treatment’ in the Public Health system because ‘we’re all so overworked and we haven’t got enough expert specialists to treat you madam’, are the very same ‘doctors’ who peculiarly have the time to treat your wealthy arse within days if you are privileged enough to be able to stump up the dosh.
I went to a follow up appointment with a friend who had been through rather grueling treatment for leukaemia. The doctor was thorough, caring and respectful and showed a genuine personal interest in the life of my friend…not just their health. There had been trouble at the hospital recently….largely to do with waiting times for treatment….This doctor noted that many of his colleagues also had private practices so they were not full time at the Public Hospital. This doctor could not understand how they could split their time and attention two ways…’serving two masters’. I suggested that the salary paid by the Public Hospital to secure a full time specialist was insufficient….this doctor said, “I have a nice house and a nice car. My children go to good schools and I can afford to take my wife and children back home (to Bangladesh) every year to see my mother and siblings. what more do I need?” All this with a humble and self deprecating shrug.
The steady privatisation of the health system has been a long term goal of the right since…well…the Public health System was developed.
Get a life James, Nikki is very fortunate to have had time off from a lenient public service who earn their living off the hard working PAYE taxpayer. She is more than likely to have private insurance and yes, its a piece of cake for the wealthy to access care for cancer treatments than the not so well off.
How miserable can you be to call Rosemary graceless – she is just stating a fact and by the way I wish Nikki Kaye a successful recovery from Breast cancer – you are just a muck raking troll.
Recently i had a skin cancer cut out at Waikato Hospital. I waited six weeks for them to see me and have a look, they were seeing patients in the weekend to reduce the waiting list. Just over a week later they were operating on me.
My partener just had a foot xray that was a two week wait.
I think the service is pretty good.
Why would you think that your personal fairly positive experience, negates the likelihood that others have a negative one?
BTW, your procedures sound fairly minor and easily dealt with. I have watched a friend – over the last several years – battle with ACC and the MoH over injuries received during a public surgery. The case continues, but not without the immense stress and harm inflicted by institutions intent on denying liability.
Also, at least you were not in the position of having to go on Jobseekers allowance as well. The anecdotes that Rosemary outlines above should have you wondering about the efficiency of sanctions policies, and the cold heartedness of such a system.
And they call it a “Democracy” 🙄
Broken Machines, passwords “admin”, “abcde” , No problem with the count – Yeah Right!
If this story is correct it would seem the place where the errors are likely to have occurred is one where Hillary “Won in a landslide”.
It would appear that the number of over counted votes is likely to be proportional to the number of genuine votes cast, if the error was due to jammed papers ending up being counted twice. It is hardly likely that there is a pattern of jammed papers that favours Trump who would have less votes in the area. The machines aren’t that smart.
Thus it seems that Trump may have won the State by more than the reported 10,000 or so.
Bad luck Hillary
I heard that in Michigan the votes are all paper. They get added to a computer later on.
Just noticed Paula Bennett on TV, she’s looking very orange, hints of Trump. A winning move.
US Lawmakers Move to Criminalize ‘Fake News, Propaganda’ on the Web
Consequences.
On Sunday, a man walked into a pizzeria in Washington, DC, with an assault rifle and fired one or more shots.
The scene, thankfully, was not another example of a mass shooting — no one was injured or killed. Instead, it was the result of a fake news story about Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign that proliferated on social media in the weeks before Election Day.
The totally false conspiracy theory claims that Hillary Clinton and her former campaign manager, John Podesta, ran a child sex ring at a pizzeria in DC, Comet Ping Pong. Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump supporters and white supremacists on social media have pushed the conspiracy theory — leading to headlines like “Pizzagate: How 4Chan Uncovered the Sick World of Washington’s Occult Elite” on fake news websites
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/5/13842258/pizzagate-comet-ping-pong-fake-news
#pizzagate
Curiously customers leapt to defend the pizzeria, rather than describe what occurred during what must have been a terrifying scene (refers to comment made by Doug Hagmann in the video below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxQdUINrJpQ
Curiously, these two fuckwits use dime-store pop psychology to ignore that fact that their lies caused some nutbar to “self investigate” using firearms.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-05/website-raising-money-fund-assassinations-trump-pence-uncovered-dark-web
“He’s actually just a little scammer, but now he’s calling to murder the president-elect. I don’t see how anyone could sit back and watch someone doing that. I actually planned to send an email to the United States Secret Service about him, but I can’t find an appropriate email address of the USSS, so I’ve to post this here. The message is signed: “The kind Austrian citizen, 1k4.”
So, the dead eyed lizard king is dead, long live the lizard king!
Any bets on where John is going to end up slithering off to?
Sadly, despite being morally corrupt, the National caucus will not fall for this shit. Could Collins have a worse endorsement than from Don Brash?
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/don-brash-on-judith-collins-as-pm-she-has-the-integrity-2016120619
I wonder if the timing of Key’s announcement inadvertently reveals something about National’s expectations surrounding the Mt Roskill By-Election ?
Key says he made his decision to step down in September, in early October he / the Govt confirm the By-Election date, and he, no doubt, decides at this point that he’ll make his resignation announcement a few days later.
Despite all the ex post facto nonsense about Mt Roskill’s alleged status as one of the great Labour strongholds, it must have looked potentially winnable to Key and Joyce back in Sep / Oct … National ahead in the Party Vote there at the 2014 General Election, the Right Bloc ahead of the Left 48 / 46 (albeit, the broader Opposition slightly ahead of the Right 52 / 48).
Yeah, it may have turned out more like Christchurch East and Mt Albert in the end, but from the perspective of Sep / Oct (with nationwide Polls tentatively beginning to suggest a swing back to the Right), the audacious idea of poaching a rare By-Election win off the Opposition (with all the associated MSM headlines), thus setting up the new National Leader / PM for a great Election run next year – must have seemed eminently do-able.
At the very least, the timing suggests they were hoping for a 2010 Mana – where the Nat candidate slashed Labour’s majority.
Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men, eh … after a week of bad press inspired by the opportunist Leggett, Mt Roskill sees Labour end very much on the front foot – just when National least wanted it.
Yes, at the very least they were set on a significantly reduced majority and even had ideas of winning the seat.
But they got man-shamed. Michael Wood’s win and the massive effort put in by his supporters and the wider Labour campaign outfit surprised and crippled National and Key in equal proportions.
I’m not saying this resignation was due to the result of the Mt Roskill by election (I did intimate that a day or so ago but I’ll retract and agree that Key would have quit yesterday win or lose), but you are right that the resignation was tied to the Mt Roskill by election.
As it happened National got dicked and the furore around Key quitting has really squashed any immediate momentum Labour might have taken into the new year.
As always quite deceitful of John Key and his machine.
Shares in wrap around sunglasses manufactures plummeted today with the news John Key’s security detail could be looking for other work.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87256428/what-will-happen-to-keys-security-detail
And now for something completely different…
This nasty little piece of police work that has seen four police officers charged with assault in the Napier District Court.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319193/tasers-and-dogs-used-on-suspect-in-car,-court-told
Four police officers have been accused of using excessive force when they fired tasers and set dogs on a wanted man, who died at the scene, in Napier last year.
Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk said police were called to Raymond McPeake’s home in Hastings in March 2015 after reports the 76-year-old had been beaten by his son, armed with what was described as a cosh.
Raymond McPeake was taken to hospital but Mr McPeake’s son, 53-year-old Gregory McPeake, was nowhere to be found.
Mr McPeake as “a huge chronic alcoholic and a previous drug user”. It said he “might be parked up somewhere drinking and contemplating suicide and there was a suggestion that he might want to kill his father and brother”.
Mr Vanderkolk said an officer found Mr McPeake’s two-door hatchback SUV parked up at Napier’s Westshore. He put road spikes down before calling for back-up.
The officers called to Mr McPeake to get out of the car and when they got no response from the 179kg man, they decided to break the car’s windows and use pepper spray.
Mr McPeake lashed out at the police and kept the doors locked, despite efforts to get him out.
Two officers fired tasers through the passenger’s and driver’s windows and two police dogs were also let loose in the car.
“He somehow managed to get one of the dogs tangled up in the wires of one of the tasers, or the cables, and he held the other dog by the muzzle very firmly.”
When the officers finally got the door open, Mr McPeake fell out of the car and landed face down. He was unresponsive and, despite attempts by the police officers and ambulance staff, later died.”
That was on the 29th November….
Today http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319770/'you-can-negotiate-for-as-long-as-it-takes‘
An officer from the AOS testifies…
“Police officers had no justification for using tasers on a wanted man who refused to get out of his car, an Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) senior manager has told a Napier court.
Canterbury AOS manager Inspector Bryan Buck said today the officers had contained Mr McPeake in his car, by sealing off exits with road spikes, and they should have called the AOS.
“I have the view, the strong view, that if staff truly had the PCA [perceived cumulative assessment] of death/GBH [grievous bodily harm] and believed Mr McPeake posed that level of threat with a crossbow, then a vehicle assault was not the appropriate tactic, at all.”
The officers did not have to act, he said.
“In a case where this person, the sole occupant of a car, parked in front of a beach as it was, containment achieved through the positioning of road spikes and other staff that could be deployed to cut off points of exit – I was happy that containment was achieved, therefore time is your friend. In other words, you can negotiate with this person for as long as it takes.””
This just might be one of those cases of police brutality where justice might prevail.
how about that trump, not even in office and he’s aiming to take Native american land. Oh look, the committee into native americans has 4 out of 5 people who are tied to the oil industry. Now Colonial Viper, now you believe he is as evil as h.r.c? Now you think he is a corporate shrill and a elect for the 1%? What excuse are we going to get this time I wonder?
And As I said after he was elected and the appointment of corporate clowns, this is just going to keep rolling with this muppet. So yeah you picked it, still does not stop trump from being a evil sob.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNkVqQnfY7E
John Key, President of the International Monetary Fund, has an appropriate ring to it don’t you think?